A tragic accident occurred when an ambulance carrying a dead body crashed into a concrete wall, killing three people on the spot and leaving one critically injured.
Ishwar Sahu, a resident of the Deogaon area in Balangir district, had passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. His body was being taken back to his village in an ambulance by his son Mitra Bhanu Sahu (alias Raju, 32), along with two relatives, Pratap Bag and Shirsha Bag. They were travelling on the occasion of Kali Puja and Deepawali.
The accident took place on National Highway 57 (Khordha-Balangir) near Shalbhanga jungle, about 14 km from Dashapalla. The ambulance (registration number OD 02 BF 2212) hit a cement-concrete wall at high speed. The ambulance driver, along with Pratap Bag and Shirsha Bag, died at the spot. Raju, the son of the deceased, survived and was initially treated at Dashapalla Community Health Centre before being referred to Nayagarh in critical condition.
On receiving the information, fire service personnel reached the site, cut open the damaged vehicle using gas cutters, and recovered the bodies of the driver and the two others. They were brought to Dashapalla hospital. The body of Ishwar Sahu and the three other bodies have been kept at the hospital.
Banigochha police said the bodies will be identified by relatives expected to arrive on Monday, after which post-mortems will be conducted. Police have seized the vehicle, registered a case of unnatural death, and launched an investigation.
